The Secret of Change
by DaesGatling
Summary: S2 AU. Emma's kiss did not break the curse. But she does believe her son now. And as Regina fights to keep what she believes to be her happy ending, Emma and Henry race to figure out why the curse was not broken. and of course Rumple ALWAYS has his own agenda.
1. Chapter 1

When Emma had kissed her son, it was the most vulnerable that she had ever been for years. Her son was dead, Gold had betrayed them and she had failed. 28 years of failure; Her family hadn't wanted her, she was kicked around various foster homes and adoption opportunities because she failed there too and now she had failed her son. Now he lay here pale and broken on a bed. The harsh lighting didn't seem right on his skin. The loud flatline nearly deafened her and it was all too much a reminder of what

She was shaking so hard, it was a wonder that she could still stand up. She wanted to kiss him, to give him a final goodbye.

"I love you, Henry," she whispered and went to kiss his forehead.

Ripples of air covered her son. Emma pulled back, confused.

Henry's eyes burst open and he came to life. Emma felt a cry stop in her throat as he looked around. Words she couldn't describe filled her heart as she stared down at him. He was alive! But how-

Magic.

Henry smiled up at him, "I love you too."

"It's a miracle," Whale said as they all rushed in to see to him. Emma started to try to say something but an army of doctors and nurses rushed in and pushed her out of the way. She struggled to see him, but the bodies blocked her way.

With no where to go in the small room, Emma found herself outside the door by Regina. She gave her a seething glare. This was HER fault. Her son ate the turnover that SHE made and they nearly lost him.

"You did this," Emma seethed.

"I'm sorry!" Regina hissed back through drying tears, "I didn't intend on him to take it."

"No, just me. And you didn't care that he might be the one to find me dead, did you?" Emma whispered angry, "I'm taking him home with me the moment he's discharged."

"Over my dead body."

Emma couldn't stop seeing her son laying on the hospital bed, "That can be easily arranged."

"The curse isn't broken yet, Ms. Swan," Regina told her, "I don't think they'd take well to their sheriff killing their mayor."

Emma didn't care about the curse or why it wasn't broken yet, or what the cursed personalities thought, "You are dangerous. Henry will not go home with you. He nearly died because of your doing."

"It was meant for you."

"That changes something?"

Regina turned, so Henry couldn't see her face through the crowd of people, "You gave him up, I'm his mother. Legally, you have no right to take him away."

"And I"m the sheriff, I can remove him from a dangerous environment."

"Do you have a court order, sheriff?" Regina asked, "Do you have proof I did anything?"

"You mean do I have proof you tried to murder me and very nearly murdered your son?"

Regina's smirk faltered, "It was an accident!"

"You can try to hide through your laws and your proof but I think we're far beyond that now, _Regina._ I know who you are now. I know _what_ you are now. I know what you've done to me and my family. You won't get to destroy my son further than you already have."

"And I think you forget one simple thing. I won. All this? This curse? Henry? I won. Your family didn't. This is for me."

"It was a curse made to be broken and you were just a pawn by Rumplestiltskin. Or did you forget THAT?"

"We all were pawns but this is still my curse"

"Yeah well maybe it's time I figure out why that is."

They were too busy arguing that they didn't hear the tapping of the cane as Rumplestiltskin limped in, leaning heavily on his cane. Behind him, a woman followed with a ratty jacket and messy hair.

Emma didn't recognize her. But from Regina's face, SHE did.

"The curse," Rumplestiltskin started, glaring Regina down, "It didn't break."

"Yeah, I"m getting that," Emma snapped, "Maybe because you took the egg and double crossed us."

"The egg had nothing to do with the curse."

"Just your goals."

"Indeed," he didn't take his eyes off Regina, "Then I get a visitor that says YOU locked her away for 28 years. I'm guessing you did the same the four years I believed her to be dead?"

Regina paled, "Belle? She's….alive?"

He was nearly shaking with rage, "You are….a dreadful liar."

Regina lowered her voice, "I could have killed her….but I didn't."

"Yeah, you did much worse than that. You kept her alive, so you could kill her when it suited you. A fate worse than death."

"What's going on?" Emma asked.

He threw some dust in her face. Emma jumped and drew back, on the defensive as Regina blinked at the dust in her face and then collapsed in front of them, "Woah, hey."

"Fear not, Ms. Swan," he told her and leaned heavily on his cane, "She's still alive. But she won't remember the last few hours. The last of my magic given as a gift to you. She will most likely remember poisoning the turnover, but she won't remember all this."

"Will she remember if Henry ate it?" Emma wasn't sure she believed him, and went to check for Regina's pulse. There was one. Emma wasn't sure if that was fortunate or not.

"I don't know."

"This isn't a gift."

"On the contrary, her knowing you know is far more dangerous than her ignorance to the fact."

Emma straightened, "So what happens now?"

"Now you tell Whale she fainted. It was probably far more emotion than her black husk of a heart was willing to take. You tend your son as I know you want to do and we'll talk. We have an alliance to discuss."

"You just left me in an elevator shaft."

He shrugged, "I'm still one of the best allies you can hope for. Especially now that I have your belief. We can make arrangements for you to get your son back in your care."

Emma blinked. Could that be possible with him?

"I'll see you soon," he went to help the woman out of the hospital, "I trust you'll remember where I live."


	2. Chapter 2

It was a jumbled mess and no one had a satisfactory answer. Henry had been in the hospital but he was awake now. Regina didn't remember the last few hours or how he got there. She was told that she fainted. Regina wasn't sure what sort of fainting wiped out memories. Her mother had forced her into many a tight corset, her fainting was not something that was unheard of.

And for some reason, they weren't letting her into the hospital room. Dr. Whale said they were worried her fainting might upset Henry. Now that didn't' make sense. She wasn't a serial fainter, something was wrong.

"Looks like someone is on the outside looking in," Regina turned to see Rumplestiltskin walking up to him, "Your majesty."

"What happened?" Regina demanded, "They said Henry took something when Emma was in the room with him. I want her removed-."

"Something you gave him."

Regina stopped, "What?"

"That turnover you made for Emma to take, Henry ate it," Rumplestiltskin barely hid his malice in his voice, "You really should do better about that, your majesty. These sleeping curses just don't work out for you."

"Henry took it?!" Regina demanded, her voice started getting high, "But he-."

"Luckily for you, magic is different here. It wasn't strong enough. He passed out but he's alright now."

"Did she kiss him?"

"No dearie, how would she do that? Our bonafide savior doesn't believe. If she kissed him as such, don't you think this curse would be broken?"

Regina stared at Emma through the mirror. Something wasn't adding up, but she didn't want to think about it. She wanted to go in and see her son. This was Emma's fault, why couldn't she just take the turnover like she was supposed to?

"You should have a moment to think, your majesty," Rumplestiltskin continued, "She was on her way out of town much to your son's disappointment. You would have won if you'd just been patient."

"Just stop it, I want to go see him."

"Oh, I wouldn't advise that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Because he ate what you gave him."

"You can't prove that."

"It shouldn't be too hard to doctor some evidence that says the turnover poisoned him," Rumplestiltskin smirked, "After all, if you and Sydney Glass can manufacture the results of the heart, I can certainly slip some information about the poison and the turnover. The respected sheriff can testify you gave it to her and there's been SUCH bad blood between the two of you since she arrived."

"You would never get away with it."

"I think you'll find that everyone involved is far more scared of me than they'll ever be of you. If I told the District Attorney to give Henry over to Emma….he'd probably oversee everything against you without any evidence. He does love his discount on rent after all. It would be a shame if that changed."

"Since when do you want to help Emma? I seem to remember being told that you weren't going to take her case."

"Well that was before you poisoned your own son."

Regina scoffed, "That was supposed to be Emma to take it! Henry got in the middle."

"Like Belle?"

Regina stopped. She paled and looked away, "Belle died."

"No she didn't. She was in the asylum the entire time. Your little hatter let her out. I'll have to send him a fruit basket to thank him."

"Perhaps he took her then. He was always a deviant and then framed me-"

"How long was she kept prisoner by you, your majesty? Four years trapped? Plus the 28 here? And then the year Emma was here. 33 years of her life wasted by you."

"Stop," Regina warned.

"Or what? You'll kill her?"

"I don't-."

"Stop. _Please_ ," he said knowing full well that she had to do once he demanded it, "Emma will have primary custody because of what you've done."

"She signed her rights away."

"I'm sure somewhere someplace there's a case where a birthmother got custody back because the adopted parents were more dangerous than she was. DOn't make this harder than what it has to be your majesty. Emma is going to get him no matter how much you stomp and scream."

"Because you're on her side."

"Precisely."

"I need to understand what I did to make you suddenly work against me now. This curse was for me."

"I think we've established that was never the case."

Regina paled, "Why would you do this?"

"I'm sure your son could ask you the same question," he snarled, "I'll see you out."

Regina took a firmer stance, "I'm not leaving him."

"Your majesty, the cause of his poisoning is currently under investigation. We both know how it was done. You will not be near him at any point before or after the results are released. He is not going home with you. I will not allow you to be here."

"Well, she's not going with him."

"On the contrary, he is going home with Emma for the time being."

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"It will. Because as I said, everyone's more scared of me than they are of you. And anyone taking your side of this conflict will immediately be against me. No one wants that. Not even you. You are very well aware of what I can do even without my magic."

Regina paled.

"I. Will. See. You. Out," he said again.

0000000000000000000000000000000

Mr. Gold- …Rumplestiltskin had requested Emma to have a meeting with him when he lobbed that whatever dust in Regina's face. Emma refused, he could come here. She wasn't leaving Henry's side, no matter what was going on around her.

Regina might take him or hurt him again.

Henry slept off and on. Emma refused to sleep. The adrenaline crashed and she struggled to keep her eyes open, but she dind't go to sleep. She couldn't risk it with Regina right outside the door

And her mind was reeling. Fairy tales were real; her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming. She just fought the same dragon her father once fought in order to save her son. And for what? Rumple had left them down an elevator shaft, he'd attacked Regina too. Now Regina might be a threat and he might be on Emma's side?

Her parents never abandoned her out of malice.

She grew up in a miserable childhood because of what the woman that adopted her own son did to her.

Henry would've found her laying dead on the floor if he hadn't taken the turnover first.

All those were reasons not to ever want Regina in the same world with Henry again.

All of those reasons were enough to send Emma into a mental bout of hyperventilations. Her mind was in tangles at the possibilities. She was a princess and people loved her.

She was a savior and they sent her through a tree at the age of a newborn because that took priority.

It always came back to that. She may have been abandoned for good reason but she was still abandoned.

Emma heard the door opened. Her hand closed on the gun she was hiding underneath the jacket. She looked up to see it was only Rumple.

Without a word, she slowly stood up, keeping her gun hidden. She kissed her sleeping son on the temple and went to stand outside his room, "Hey."

"Sheriff," Rumplestiltskin greeted, "How is he?"

"He's breathing," Emma was tense, she didn't trust Rumple and she wanted him to know it.

"I'm sure you saw Regina milling about."

"I saw her."

"I appreciate you not chasing her away, Emma."

"I didn't want to give away that I know what she is now," Emma put her hands on her hips and sighed, "So…magic doesn't work."

"Indeed it does not."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means you and I are limited. Fortunately for us, Regina is too."

"She's not going home with Henry."

"I'm working on it, sheriff."

"Make it happen. If he risks going home with her after what just happened, I'm putting him in the car and running off."

"Are you sure you want to leave everyone else here including your parents?"

"Henry comes first," Emma told him immediately, she couldn't think about the implications of the threat. Not if it meant Henry's life or health, "If that means leaving this all behind then I'm going to do what it takes to keep my son safe. If you don't want that for whatever agenda you have, then I suggest you make sure I have custody."

Rumplestiltskin grinned, "Well it appears that you and I have some work to do."

"I'm not doing anything for you. You left me in an elevator shaft for something that wouldn't even save my son. Why should I trust you now after what you pulled while my son was dying?"

"Because I'm the only one that will keep you alive."

"You're going to have to do better than that. I've kept myself alive for years."

"Because I'm the only one that can protect you from Regina. Do you think just because I can get you custody, that she'll stay away? Of course you don't think that. And you're going to need all the help you're going to get when it comes to her. This is we world that you can't possibly understand. I"ll bet you won't be able to wrap your mind around it yet, have you? I'm the only one Regina's scared of. I'm the only one that has power over her. I'll get you your son, I'll keep you safe from her as much as I can. But you have to do some things for me."

"Here we go."

"First of all, you have to stay still. Running won't get you what you truly want."

"And what are the other things?"

Rumplestiltskin hesitated, "Not yet."

"You're not going to leave me in the dark."

"Sheriff, I have a lot of work to do and I have a friend asleep in the car. I came here to chase Regina way and give you my assurances that as long as we work together, you will be the safest you can possibly be."

"As long as I do what you want is more like."

"That's what I said. As long as we work together," Rumpelstilskin said sarcastically, "I would suggest you get him home as soon as possible. He's far more safer at home than he is here. This hospital is cold, nothing good happened in a place like this"

Emma was about to ask what THAT was supposed to mean. That was an odd vague statement for him to make and coming from the king of odd vague statements in front of her. Before she could open her mouth to ask though, he was already starting to leave.

And she learned she achieved nothing, she didn't know anything more than she could already guess. He'd keep them safe from Regina. Why?

"Who was that woman you were with this morning?" Emma finally managed.

Rumplestiltskin stopped, "Another victim."

"Was she the same 'she' that you were screaming about when you were beating Moe French to a pulp?"

Rumplestiltskin looked at her. Emma saw something more in his eyes than what was usually there. She wasn't sure if it was grief or hope or a combination of both.

"You're not the only one with people to protect Sheriff Swan."

And he was gone.

Well that was vague and barely useful.

Emma turned to see Henry was awake. She hid the gun from him, pulled on her coat, and tucked the gun into the back of her pants. She walked in and smiled at him, "Hey kid, how are you feeling?"

"Starving."

"I'm gonna try to get you out of here and we'll get something," she promised. She kissed the top of his hair, "Mr. Gold is gonna go for custody for me. I'm going to take you home and I promise I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

She replayed it in her mind over and over. The loud single tone of the flatline. She couldn't get the sight of her son strapped to all those machines out of her mind.

"What about my things?" Henry asked.

"I haven't worked out all the details with Mr. Gold yet, but we'll figure it out," she took his hands in hers and sat on the bed, "Henry. You were right. About everything. I am so so sorry I didn't believe you. Even when it was obvious and I was scared, I should have believed you."

 _If you'd believed him, he wouldn't be in the hospital now._

"Can you forgive me?" She asked.

He nodded, "We're in this together?"

"From here on out, I promise."

He leaned in for a hug. Emma wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in. She was ready for this. She was ready to be his mother.

"Emma?"

Emma looked up. She saw Mary Margaret standing there.

"Emma, thank god. I was looking everywhere for you-."

Mary Margaret was her mother. The mother that gave her up to keep her safe. A mother that didn't abandon her because she didn't love her but gave her up because she knew it'd keep Emma safe.

To be a savior.

Did her parents want a daughter? Or a savior to save them?

In that moment, she didn't care. She crossed the room and embraced her mother as tightly as she could.

The niggling thoughts still plagued her.

How was she going to keep all of them safe.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma took assessment of her current predicament with Henry in the hospital. They weren't safe here, there were too many openings that Regina could have in order to get them. The town was still very much under her control, Henry didn't want to touch the food they gave him, nor did he want to sleep again.

He didn't say it, but he was scared. So, Emma asked, no, outright demanded for his release as soon as possible. He was coming home with her. There was some pushback, they wanted Regina there since she was his guardian. Emma stood firm, he was a victim of a poisoning and since she was the sheriff, she taking him into protective custody while an investigation was underway.

"But there was no evidence of a poisoning," Whale had protested.

"You just glanced in his throat," Emma snapped "Call me about how wrong you were when the test results come back."

Rumple had promised her he would doctor the results. All she had to do was play nice and cooperate with whatever agenda he was really planning.

And Emma would. For now. Because Henry needed her to.

Her mom was there too, Emma was still trying to work past that. Mary Margaret was Snow White and Snow White was her mother. Which meant that her mom and dad had put her in the wardrobe to save her when she was born.

She waited for the anger to go away, and for the understanding to set in, but it didn't. They put her in a tree. She still grew up in horrible conditions, abused by everyone. And for what? So she could be a savior and save them.

Would they see the daughter when they looked at her? Or would they see the savior?

Would the curse even break?

"I just don't understand why we're going to Mr. Gold's to stay," Mary Margaret said

"It's just for today," Emma said as they drove.

"But the mayor-."

"The mayor poisoned Henry," Emma whispered and glanced back towards Henry as he slept….or pretended to sleep. Emma knew he wasn't breathing regularly, he was listening in.

Mary Margaret just stared at her in shock, "You're sure?"

"I"m sure, she was trying to poison me and Henry ate it."

Mary Margaret watched her and obviously tried to put it all together, "But you were leaving!"

"Yeah, I wish I'd taken him and run off now."

Because she was trapped here with a role she never asked for, a scared child, and was under Mr. Gold's thumb in order to defeat someone that JUST tried to kill her. And here she was trying to pretend she still didn't believe anything Henry said.

She didn't ask for any of this. She just wanted to be Henry's mom.

"Why can't we go to the house?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Because I want to make sure it's safe."

"Emma-."

"Henry got poisoned aimed for me," Emma whispered again, "I'm going to put you guys with Mr. Gold because he'll keep you safe, get some things from Henry's room and check on David Nolan."

"Why David?"

"Because he's someone you love and Regina might go after him next."

"Emma, I think you're sounding a little paranoid," Mary Margaret told her, "Regina isn't going to kill everyone and their loved ones that she doesn't like. Besides, David's gone."

Emma slammed on the brakes, "What?"

"MOM!" Henry said.

"Where?" Emma demanded.

"He left town a few hours ago."

Emma immediately turned the car around and took off for the town border.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

"It's fine."

"We're going after him?"

"Just- just checking on him."

She sped through the streets. She never knew what would happen if one of the townsfolk reached the border. Nothing good, that was for sure.

But that was her dad. She remembered the picture in Henry's book of him putting her in the wardrobe. She knew the story, he fought soldiers with her in his arms just to get her to the portal. She couldn't fail him by doing nothing for hours while he was leaving.

What if he was dead?

Had she failed being a savior to her own dad on her first day of really accepting it.

Her heart was racing wildly in her chest as she sped towards the town border. She'd have to stop before reaching the 'Leaving Storybrooke' sign, so Mary Margaret didn't get the same fate David might have.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaimed and grabbed her arm for her attention.

Emma saw it. David was limping along the side of the road, holding his arm.

He looked like crap, Emma pulled alongside the road and barely put it in park before she was out, "Are you okay?! I thought you were-."

She stopped. She had to rein herself in before they started catching on that she was sounding crazy.

"David?" Mary Margaret got out of the car.

"Hi Mary Margaret," He smiled but her mom frowned and looked away.

"What happened?" Emma asked, "I heard you left hours ago."

"A wolf ran out in front of me, I crashed into the sign."

Emma blinked, the memory running through her mind of her first night here where it happened.

What if nothing bad happened? What if something just got in the way to prevent them from leaving?

"You're holding your arm."

"Yeah, I was out for a few hours and then I woke up in pain, I think it's broken."

"Okay," Emma gave a nervous glance back to the car where her mom and son were. He needed a hospital, they were going to have to to go back there.

What if Regina went after him?

Emma was going to need help beyond Rumple-friggin'-stiltskin's ability.

00000000000000000000000000000000

They dropped David off in the hospital. Her mom sat in the back with Henry and refused to even LOOK towards the front, she stared at the passing world outside the window.

Mr. Gold's house was an eyesore, it gave Emma a headache just LOOKING at the salmon monstrosity. Emma wondered what Rumple did to Regina in the past to earn something as hideous as a huge pink house that only he lived in with green trim.

Gold was waiting for her, leaning on his cane as all three of them climbed out of the car.

"It's about time," he called, "You told me you'd be here in ten minutes. Well, I looked at the watch, dear. It's far past ten minutes."

"We had a stop to make," Emma said and gave him a pointed look, "David Nolan tried to leave town."

Gold stopped and frowned, "And he's-."

"He crashed."

Relief briefly crossed the Dark One's face, "Good."

"I just need you to watch them for a couple of hours," Emma said

"Of course," Gold smiled at Henry, "Hello Henry! How you are you feeling?"

Henry shrugged. Emma wrapped a protective arm around him and pulled him close.

"If you like, there's fresh lemonade in the refrigerator and ice cream. I even figured out the TV for you."

"Thanks."

"It's just for a few hours," Emma said again.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with being a good host," he moved backwards, "Come in, please."

Mary Margaret shouldered her purse and walked in.

Emma knelt in front of Henry, "Hey."

"Hey," he looked down.

"I'm not going to be gone long. I'm just getting some of your things and then I'll be away from her."

"What if she fights back?"

"She doesn't have much magic, she won't hurt your mom," Gold promised him, "And she knows I"m on Emma's side now. She wouldn't dare lift a finger against her without risking my wrath."

"I'll call you before I get to the house and after I leave. That way you know I'm safe, okay?"

He fiinally nodded.

Emma pulled him into a hug, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Emma let go and nodded her respect to Mr. Gold.

"I'll let you know if anything happens."

"Thank you," Emma turned around, gave Henry a last look before she left.

"She hasn't left me since I woke up," Henry muttered.

Gold put his hand on the boy's shoulder, "She'll be okay."

"I hope so."

"She knows what Regina will resort to now, she'll know to be on her guard."

He led Henry inside. Mary Margaret was just inside the door, staring at Belle who was covered on the couch asleep.

"Sorry dear," Rumplestiltskin said, "She fell asleep there."

"I don't think I know her," Mary Margaret whispered.

"This is Belle, she's someone you don't need to concern yourself with for the moment" he whispered, "Please, perhaps we can take this somewhere else while she rests."

"But I thought she was dead," Henry muttered, "It said it in the book."

"It says a lot of things in the book," Gold pushed them gently towards another room of the house

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Emma knew Rumplestiltskin wasn't enough, she knew they'd need help as much help as possible. Regina had 28 years of memories on them, and she was emotional. When she was emotional, she would react and Emma needed to have things in place for when that happened.

The drive was one Emma had promised herself she would not make after the kidnapping and attack had happened. The ONLY reason Emma hadn't taken him in was because she worried it might get out at why Emma had been up in the house in the first place.

She had been up there because Mary Margaret fled her cell.

The door opened before Emma even knocked.

"What do you want?" Jefferson hissed.


	4. Chapter 4

Jefferson had invited her in, Emma only made it inside the front door and she refused to go any further. Mere days ago, he had tried to hurt her. He had taken Mary Margaret hostage, and forced her at gunpoint to make a hat. Emma didn't know what might have been in store for them when she fought back at he had them cornered in that room. If Mary Margaret hadn't taken that croquet mallet and kicked him out the window….

"It would be polite to ask what you'd like to drink," Jefferson said. Emma watched him shift from one foot to another awkwardly. He wouldn't look her in the face.

This was a last resort, she told herself. She had to admit though, she was worried. He was unstable. That gun in her face kept playing over and over.

His charming personality that won her over at first, that willingness to help….and then a gun in her face while her friend was tied up and no one knew where she was.

"I wouldn't drink it," she finally said.

"Yes, I suppose we sort of burned that bridge. Are you here to take me in?"

"No," Emma sighed, "Because if I took you in, there would be questions. Questions that I can't afford to have asked right now."

"Not THAT," Jefferson snapped, "I know you can't take me in for THAT night. I'm talking about Henry getting poisoned."

Emma's eyes grew, "You had something to do with that?"

"She made me get the apple, she promised me my daught-," He was cut off when Emma punched him. He stumbled back. Emma didn't care, she was seeing red. HE threatened the safety of HER son?

"You son of a bitch, I should rip you apart," she hissed.

"Fine," he told her and straightened up, "You wouldn't help me, I had to help myself."

"By trusting Regina Mills who put you like this in the first place."

He stopped when she said that, a beaming grin crossed his face, "You believe?"

"Yes. I believed as soon as Henry took that turnover and the pieces fell together."

"He's awake…and for him to be awake, you kissed him. You could get my daughter!"

PUNCH

Jefferson rubbed his nose, "Stop DOING THAT!"

"You held me at gunpoint days ago!"

"And you hit me with a telescope and kicked me out a window! We're even!"

"Not even close, not after Henry!"

"Even or not, you need my help, don't you? If you're not here to arrest me or to be friends, then why else would you be here?"

"Yes, I need your help. I need- I need eyes on the town. I need eyes on Regina. I need eyes on me when I have to go see her to get Henry's things. I need someone that will make sure I'm safe."

"You get my daughter back, I'll do whatever you want."

"I don't know if I can do that," she admitted.

When she saw him narrow his eyes and take a threatening step forward, Emma wondered if maybe it was better to lie, "Why not?"

"Because this curse isn't broken," Emma told him, "And I don't know how to break it."

"You kissed your son, he's awake!"

"It should have been enough, but it wasn't. NO one else is awake but you and me and Henry and Rumple. We have to be smart when going against Regina."

"And you want me to play spy."

"There's nothing else to do."

Jefferson narrowed his eyes, "I want my daughter then, as a reward."

"You can't have Grace just yet."

"After Regina's defeated, then."

"When we break this curse and we're out from under Regina's boot, then I will make sure you get joint custody," she started, knowing this wouldn't end well.

"JOINT CUSTODY?! SHE'S MY DAUGHTER."

"And you're unstable!" Emma told him sharply, "Just days ago you had a gun to my face! You wanted me to make a hat so you could take your daughter and leave. Tell me something Jefferson, would Grace have wanted to go?"

"I would've figured something out. I would've made her believe."

"You'd have traumatized her," Emma said, "Joint custody if her parents in this world still want her. From there…we'll figure something out."

"That's not a good deal."

"It's a compromise," Emma looked at him, "It's the best you can hope for right now."

He bit his thumbnail and thought it over, "I could always tell Regina that you believe."

"She won't get you what you want," Emma told him, "Haven't you figured that out yet? Not unless it goes along with her plan too."

His only bluff was called. He picked at the string on his cuff and sighed, "Fine."

"Fine," Emma said and turned, "I need to go get some of Henry's things. I need you to watch my back."

"Okay."

Emma started to go and stopped for a moment, "Thank you for saving Belle."

Jefferson blinked, "Have no idea what you're talking about."

"Rumplestiltskin told me to send you his regards. He tells me he'll deal with her personally when the time comes."

"When will that be?"

"When we can break this curse. If you're looking for a date when that will be, I don't know what to tell you."

"He might know more than what he's telling you."

Emma turned sharply as she went out the front door.

"He always does," Jefferson told her and shut the door behind her.

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Emma did NOT want to go to Regina's house, it was a recipe for disaster. She was worried that if she went, then she'd reveal to much. The whole plan would be blown less than 24 hours.

But Henry needed his things. Emma didn't have any of his clothes, or his school stuff, or his laptop.

Emma spent about 20 minutes in the car steeling herself before she got out of the car.

This woman tried to kill her. She took her family away from her.

How was she going to hold it all together now when her family was just in her reach?

Why couldn't she have awakened them?

Emma stared at the door for a few moments before she sighed and pounded the door.

The door opened automatically. Regina stood facing her. Her eyes were red from crying and her face was splotchy. Emma would have felt bad for her if she didn't know what this woman was capable of.

"I'm here for his things."

"I have them here." Regina reached behind the door and shoved two duffels in Emma's arms. Emma barely caught the messenger bag and backpack that had his school things and computer.

Well that was easy.

"Thank you," Emma muttered and went to leave.

" Don't get to comfortable," Regina snarled, "I'm going to fight this every step of the way."

"I don't care."

"You're trusting the wrong person, Emma Swan. You may think I tried to hurt you but I didn't. It's all a conspiracy on Mr. Gold's part to get you under his thumb. What do you think he's going to do to you? He's not going to help you with the goodness of his heart. You're jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"I'll take my chances."

Regina grew angry, "Do you think you have what it takes to be a mother? What do you think you're going to do when you can't just take him home to me and get your breaks? When YOU have to deal with his tantrums and his running away? With his skipping school? What are you going to do when you can't just send him home so you can ignore his delusional fantasies."

"I'll deal with it."

Regina was following her now, "You can play mom all you want, but you don't have what it takes, he's MY son!"

Emma dropped the bags and turned to match her, "HE'S NOT, HE'S MINE."

They went nose to nose, Emma could've punched her before she continued, "And after what you've done, you're not getting anywhere near him."

"You're going to regret this."

"No, I'm not," Emma grabbed the bags.

"I'll find a way to get my son back."

"Well you keep thinking that," Emma put the bags in the car.

"This is my town, and it goes by my rules. I can do whatever I want here. I WILL get my son back."

Emma slammed the door, "Goodbye madam mayor."

"When can I see him?"

"You can't."

"You can't cut me off of him forever. You can't throw away my ten years of raising him"

"He nearly died because of you," Emma climbed in the driver's seat, "Watch me."

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Emma drove the car around the corner before she pulled over and called her son.

"Mom?"

"Hey kid," she sighed tiredly, "It's me."

"Are you okay?"

"I"m fine. I got your things."

"Does she know?"

"I don't think so. I'll be at the house in a couple of minutes."

"Okay."

Emma heard some talking in the background, and that familiar voice that she was getting to know a little too well, "That Gold?"

"Yeah."

"Let me talk to him."

She heard some quiet chatter and then heard the phone being moved, "Sheriff Swan! How are you? Did you run your errands safely."

"Yeah, to Jefferson and Regina. Jefferson's going to watch us and make sure we're safe."

"That's….good of him."

"He says I shouldn't trust you."

"Well sheriff, his mother didn't NAME him Mad Hatter. He got it for a reason."

"He's not the only one to say I shouldn't trust you."

"Is that so?"

"So, I have a whole lot of questions for you when I get back," Emma started the car, "Starting with who that woman is that's with you now."


	5. Chapter 5

When Emma returned to the Gold house, she was immediately greeted with her son practically slamming into her in an embrace. When she got her breath back, she stroked his hair and watched Rumplestiltskin come to wait for her on the porch.

"I was so worried mom might do something," Henry whispered.

"She won't be able to, not without risking a whole lot of fallout," Emma told him.

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders protectively and walked him up the stairs to face a smirking Rumplestiltskin, "Hello Ms. Swan."

"Gold," Emma said tensely.

"You're in one piece, that's marvelous."

"Where's Mary Margaret?"

"She is apparently helping Belle get cleaned up. She's quite frightened with the new surroundings."

"Yeah," Emma watched, "So ABOUT this Belle.…"

"Perhaps you'd do well to bring in Henry's things."

"What for? We're not staying here."

"Well you can hardly go back home, it's not safe."

Emma could detect his sarcastic concerned, "I think we have it covered."

"Sheriff, I don't think you understand the gravity of what you're up against…or how easily accessible your house was before "

"Maybe not, but I understand it enough and August put a better lock on the door Emma kept her distance, "I know Regina's dangerous. I can gather enough of that from what she's done and the book. I know you've spent the past year stringing me along for your own plans."

"Sheriff-."

"And I know that that hasn't stopped yet But I also know I can't afford to lose your support since Regina is only intimidated by you. But I also know that while we're laying low and trying to figure out why this curse hasn't broken, we can't be seen here too much. It'll raise questions."

"Of course."

"So if you want to think keeping us close means you can manipulate us easier," Emma gave a smirk that she wasn't really feeling, "Think again."

Gold made a fake shocked expression, "Feeling spirited, are we?"

"You put me down an elevator with a dragon!"

"And I"m making up for it by representing you in getting your son back."

"Yeah, what's you making up for the rest of the manipulation?" Emma challenged.

"I have no idea whaty our'e talking about," Rumplestiltskin with that pretend innocent face that Emma already knew by heart.

"Henry," Emma said, "Why don't you go get some of your bags?"

"I thought we weren't staying," Henry said.

"Maybe for dinner, there's still some things Mr. Gold and I need to talk about," Emma sent him to go get his things and turned.

"What?" Rumple asked.

Emma walked up the last couple of stairs, "You know, I know what sort of person Regina is….but I really don't know a thing about you."

"I'm sorry?"

"Well, I do know a few things, the number one thing being that you always manage to come out on top. It's how you got out of going to jail for beating Moe French."

"Oh, that nasty night again."

"Stop changing the subject."

"On hindsight, I probably shouldn't have beaten his skull in now that I know the truth."

"What truth?"

"Doesn't matter."

Emma stopped, "That woman in there is the 'her' you were screaming about that night, isn't she?"

"Indeed."

"Who is she really?"

Rumplestiltskin stopped.

"Gold," Emma sighed, "We have to work together, I"d prefer if we did it willingly and not act like we're pulling teeth."

"That would require some trust."

"I can't trust you," Emma told him, "You haven't given me a lot of reason to. And there's no way I REMOTELY believe this curse rendered someone like you powerless. I think you're playing a long game."

"Oh do you?"

"Yeah" Emma smirked, "Wouldn't want to tell me what that is by any chance?"

Rumplestiltskin gave a smile, "The woman in the house is named Belle."

Emma's mind immediately went to the animated movie, "As in Beauty and the beast?"

"Indeed, as inaccurate as that movie is."

"So….does that make you the beast?" Emma tried not to burst out laughing at the mental image of him covered in body hair.

"Among other things.

"Did you have singing appliances?" Emma raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed NOT!" Rumplestiltskin snapped, "Regina made me believe she was dead for for years…when in fact, she was held prisoner and then our little Hatter friend got her out of the mental institution where she had been staying for 28 years. I only tell you this because I have the feeling you will not stop nattering until you know the truth."

Emma took a second to process all of it, "Oh."

"Though I believe your cursed mother turned roommate thinks she's some sort of mail order bride."

Ew. "Is she okay? Belle, I mean."

"She doesn't remember anything….and she doesn't have much of a personality with this curse. Though I suspect that was never Regina's intention ."

"Weill she be okay HERE?"

"Better than out there," Rumplestiltskin said, "But make no mistake about it, sheriff. Her life is just as much in danger as any of ours."

"Yeah, I"m picking up on that."

"Which means that if anything happens to her, anything that Moe French went through will pale in comparison."

"You can't do that."

"Watch me."

"We have laws."

"Are you forgetting what this town actually is now, Sheriff?"

"Yeah, cursed," Emma whispered, "Like it's always been."

"Are you guys done strategizing?" Henry yelled, "My arms are tired."

"Yes Henry," Rumplestiltskin yelled but didn't take his eyes off Emma, "We're done."

"Not by a long shot. I have a million questions," Emma hissed.

"I'm sure one day you might find some of the answers you seek."

"But not for you," Emma narrowed her eyes, "Not unless you benefit."

"Indeed."

"Well, now that we're on teh same page about what barely constitutes for our allaince," Emma muttered and went to help her son.


	6. Chapter 6

Emma spent a week home with Henry, staying close, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She waited for Regina to strike, Emma knew it was bound to happen. Regina wouldn't stop just because Rumpelstiltskin had told her 'no', really it was the opposite. She'd come after them harder, and she'd be smarter.

But the days turned into a week and nothing happened. People were starting to ask questions gently, including Mary Margaret. Questions that Emma couldn't really answer but she knew that things would only get asked less politely.

"Yeah but why do I have to go to school?" Henry asked as they walked side by side that Monday.

"Because you've been home for a week and after all the school skipping, you'll be lucky you aren't held back," Emma told him. But her heart was racing in her chest. She didn't want Henry to be alone in the school. There were too many opportunities for Regina to come and take him. There was only one reason she agreed to this. Letting Henry skip too much might give Regina the legal opportunity she needed to get Henry back, Rumple had confirmed it. They were still playing here by her rules after all, and Emma was still pretending she didn't believe in the curse.

"Well everyone else has been held back 28 times," Henry muttered, "Once isn't so bad."

"You're smarter than that," Emma told him, "We both have to pretend everything is still normal."

"It's not normal!"

"Yeah, I got that, but you still need an education."

"People are going to be asking questions!" Henry told her, "About you and Regina, and the fact I die- over what happened when the turnover."

Emma went to stand in front of him and knelt down, "Hey…. the more you hide, the more questions they'll ask…and the more we have to answer things. We can't risk that, right? We can't give it away."

Henry hesitated, "But it'll pass, right?"

"Yeah Henry," Emma assured him, "They'll find another thing to focus on, and the curse will be broken and you'll be a hero, so all this stuff doesn't matter to them for very long. And you don't have to talk about what happened with the turnover if you don't want to, just tell them that."

Henry hadn't even told HER what he'd gone through yet. Emma let him know that she was there if he wanted to talk but his insomnia and avoidance of all things apple let Emma know that he was still trying to figure it out for himself.

"What if Regina comes to take me?"

"She won't. She can't legally, Rumple…Mr. Gold is still working on it."

"Yeah but that's the rules that heroes have to follow, I mean what if she cheats?"

Emma took his hands, "Okay, I didn't want to tell you this because I thought you'd feel even more awkward but when I talked to Rumpelstiltskin last night he told me that he was going to have his bodyguard watch you just in case something happens."

Henry blinked, "Why does he care so much?"

Emma shrugged, "I don't know, Henry. Maybe he realizes I'll cooperate with whatever plan he has better if I'm not worried about you living with Regina."

She still owed him that favor after all, and now that Emma had some idea of how long he'd been awake, she didn't think that was just because it was something his cursed mind would do.

There was some sort of agenda Rumple had; and on top of Regina's plans, she had to deal with trying to stay on the same level as Rumpelstiltskin and whatever he wanted.

They reached the school together just as the bell rang. Emma pulled him into a tight hug, "If you need me, I'll come and get you. I'll be at the sheriff's station, okay? I love you."

"I love you too"

Those words were so much easier to say now but the fact he returned it still took her by surprise. Why should he love her after she gave him up and then put him through what she did when they reunited?

But he still did and that always threw her, no matter how many times a day he told her he loved her.

"Learn something," Emma told him, "After all, the kids have had 28 years to memorize all this, right? You got to step up."

He smiled at the dark humor, Emma needed a bit of it in order to function after dealing with all this insanity.

Henry went inside with the other kids who immediately crowded around him. Emma felt a pang of guilt in her gut. It was her fault he was in this position, if she had just believed him-.

If she just believed him, she wouldn't have him now. No poison would have been found in the turnover, Emma would have no case in getting Henry away from Regina unless they were able to prove she set up Mary Margaret.

It was sick to remotely feel grateful it happened.

She saw Rumpelstiltskin in the distance standing next to his bodyguard. She saw him give that enigmatic smirk as they locked eyes.

He wanted her for some reason. Once her usefulness gave out, he'd turn on her. She wasn't stupid, she didn't believe he was helping her because he felt any sort of friendship towards her.

Emma needed a drink, but no bar would be open this early and Granny would be judging her if she asked.

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Emma worked until about 2 when the bar across town opened up and she went. Just for a drink or two, nothing more. Henry would be getting out soon, she needed to be there and sober to pick him up.

"Whiskey please," Emma told the bartender.

He put the drink in front of her and filled it up.

"Hard day already?" he asked.

"Hard life," Emma muttered, "Gotta keep my son from having the same and I don't even know how."

She downed it and winced, "This isn't top of the line, is it?"

"We get by. I prefer rum myself."

"Never held appeal."

"No one drinks it for the taste."

Emma looked up at the handsome man with blue eyes, and tried to place his face, "I'm not sure I've seen you before."

"I have one of those faces," he told her and smirked in a very self-assured way, "Killian Jones. And I've been here just as long as I can remember."


	7. Chapter 7

Killian, by all accounts, had somehow survived 28 years of being frozen, and in that time palaces and villages broke down, foliage crept in….and so did monsters. When everyone woke up, they had found that every creeping thing here had moved in where humans used to walk. Strangely, they had been safe from the creatures. As far as Killian could tell, people were either removed from this world or scattered. They weren't picked off by the closest beast looking for a meal.

Might as well have been buildings themselves.

And they'd stood there for 28 years, untouched by time. Cora had been right about that.

But she had been wrong about him not feeling it. He felt everything. It might not have been aware of every second but he _felt_ like an eternity had passed. It was like being half awake for a night that stretched for an eternity and the sunset felt so long ago.

Except it was 28 years and everything had changed.

Cora at least on her part was initially embarrassed when she realized she'd felt part of those 28 years too, but she got over that in a day. She put herself in the village, he pretended to be a blacksmith and stayed low.

Just long enough to get a feel of things. Safety in numbers and all that.

Once Killian and she GOT that information, they were gone. They'd lied about Cora no longer having her magic, but she was still considered a threat. They shoved her in an underground prison they'd fashioned, he pretended to play refugee just long enough to get reports of how bad it was out there….and they just waited. Some battles were fought, creatures were driven back, Philip and Mulan raced off to wake some princess that was under a sleeping spell up, some fiancé.

Surely she couldn't be alive at this point. Once they all were revived from the curse, it was fair game for the monsters.

But two of their best fighters were gone, Killian took Cora and left. They didn't kill many. Only enough that got in their way. The beanstalk wasn't far, hardly a day's walk regularly and well…Cora had magic, and so they reached it, and they ascended (Her magic helped there too). They made short work of the last giant in his world and well…they were here, split up to do some reconnaissance.

And what he'd found was…. disappointing at best. The people here should be rioting, and panicking. Regina's body should have been hanging from a tree he thought. It had taken him a bit to realize that the curse here hadn't broken, something had gone _wrong_ , and they were all under that veil where they didn't remember who they were.

Which gave him some time to figure out some of the…machines…. here. Cora secured him a spot in the local tavern, by playing with a few memories of her own. Taverns were the best place to work if one wanted to know information; tongues loosened with alcohol.

So, he learned about the Swan woman who came to town a few months ago, he learned the chaos she caused to Regina over a shared son, he learned that that son had miraculously survived…. after Emma Swan had kissed him.

Sounded a lot like true love's kiss to Killian.

So why didn't the curse break?

It was something he was determined to find out, especially now that she was now sitting in front of him looking absolutely miserable.

"Let me pour you another drink," he offered, maybe she knew something that she wasn't telling anyone. If she thought he was also under the curse, she could say whatever she wanted and it would have no effect other than the slight confusion of whomever she was talking to. He'd tried that himself with his 'manager', who said he was crazy but didn't press the issue other than amusement.

"No, I…I need to stay sober, my son's getting off from school soon."

They HAD to be rich, if they could afford a school for a ten-year-old. Maybe he could get revenge on the crocodile and come out of this extremely wealthy if he located where they kept their funds.

"How is the boy?" he asked, "I heard about what happened. Tragic thing."

"He just…. scared, I guess. He'll recover…he's a strong kid, with the right amount of therapy and support…I think…he can bounce back."

"Tragic _tragic_ thing," he took her hand, feigning concern for Harry or…Huck or whatever his name was, "If there's anything I can do…"

Emma immediately got uncomfortable and slid her hand away, "I'm good, thanks."

He didn't take his eyes away from hers, pretending to ignore her removing her hand. Just a worried friend, right? "What is it you said happened to him again?"

"He…ate something," he'd overstepped his bounds, she was uncomfortable now. Naivety? Nah, she had a kid, and those eyes weren't of someone sheltered, she'd seen things. She more than likely was getting an idea of what exactly she was dealing with when dealing with him. That was a problem, that made her dangerous, "I'm sorry, who are you again?"

"I'm-," he stared, "Uh-."

"FRANK!" The bearded dwarf yelled from across the bar, "You lazy fat ass, stop flirting, I'm out of whisky."

"In a minute," he breathed a sigh of relief, "If there's anything I can do…sheriff…just let me know."

"I think I'll pass."

A rude one, she was. What sort of princess was SHE?!

He went to tend to the squawking dwarf, when he turned back around to spot her, she was gone.

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Emma pulled on her jacket as soon as she stepped outside, it was still cool, though summer was on its way. The temperature was only going to drop later tonight, she should get Henry home.

Emma glanced back at the bar as she walked down the steps. That interaction with the bartender was _weird_. But that was just _this town_ and they were all cursed to be weird.

Though most of the others hadn't sent up red flags like what came up with the bartender.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly, her red flags hadn't gone up with Sidney Glass when they should have. They didn't go up with August when he was taking her out to where he'd crossed over with her and told her story. Maybe her 'superpower' needed honing and the bartender was just weirdly trying to be nice.

Maybe she needed more than two hours of sleep at night, maybe it was getting to her

Three rolled around, Emma was waiting outside of the school and napped. 3:30 was met with a wave of kids, Emma smiled as soon as she saw Henry and held her arms out.

He hugged her tightly.

"How was it?" she threw an arm around him.

"it was okay," he shrugged and then looked a bit embarrassed, "Everyone made cards for me."

"That was nice of them."

"I think they had to."

"Maybe you have more friends than what you think," Emma offered and frowned, "They ask questions? Are you okay?"

"They did, and yeah, I'm okay."

"Well….I have an idea."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, so I saw a sale on TVs at the electronic store…maybe lets buy one and rent a couple of movies. Maybe we can make a pizza from scratch…. I mean I don't know really how to do all that but Mary Margaret says she has a recipe, it can be a family thing."

"We don't have room for it in the apartment for a TV."

"We can put it upstairs for movie nights," she bit the inside of her cheek, "We can have ice cream too. Ever had a root beer float?"

"IT's a school night!"

"This is as wild as I'm letting you get at this age, enjoy it!"


	8. Chapter 8

After a week of tension and getting into the swing of being a mom, Emma had to say that it felt good being able to just relax for once. She found a relatively cheap ancient TV that she and Henry managed to piece together. Emma fondly remembered and missed flat screens, but she and Henry had had fun.

She had no idea what a ten-year-old actually watched. When she grew up at the foster home, whatever she watched or read was either from the library or from a varied collection her parents at the time had. So, she found Labyrinth with David Bowie and decided that was as good as anything.

She forgot about the Bowie bulge. Thankfully Henry didn't ask questions, Emma wasn't ready for that talk.

"That was fun," Mary Margaret said as Emma was sitting at the dining table with her later that night after they'd cleaned up. She'd been invited too, Emma tried not to look at her during THOSE scenes, she was still trying to rectify the fact that she would be looking at her mom to see her reaction to the Bowie Bulge.

Emma wasn't ready for that talk either.

"Yeah, things have been tense since Regina…. Regina did what she did."

"Do you know for sure that she tried to poison you?"

"Yeah, she admitted it to me," Emma told her.

"Surely you can use that."

"It's…," Emma tried to find an excuse that would get her out of that line of thinking, "My word against hers. And she's raised Henry for ten years, they might favor that."

Just saying so put a bad taste in her mouth.

"So, what happens now?" Snow asked.

And that was the problem, Emma didn't know. She had a town full of people that were cursed and her kiss had saved Henry but it didn't save anyone else. Where did she even start? It felt like they were waiting for Regina to make the next move, and Emma was relying on the Dark One for protection.

She didn't like relying on him, and she really didn't like owing him that favor, she needed to try to find a way to make things even.

Emma was in over her head, she was the savior but she was at a disadvantage because she wasn't sure where she went from here. She wanted to ask Henry what he thought but he'd been the adult for too long in his family, it was time that he be a kid.

She wasn't going to rely on him like that. She was the savior, she was the mother.

But what now?

Emma finished the last of her melted root beer float, "I don't…I don't know."

Wait for Regina to make a move. Pray to god that she could outthink her.

"I'm talking to Gold in the morning," Emma decided and went to wash up, "It's been too quiet on his end of things."

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The problem with getting to Emma and getting Henry back was that Regina was at a loss on what she should do to get him back. There were ways, she knew how to hurt Emma, she knew where to get her where it hurt the most. It wouldn't' be hard to get Henry back if she really unleashed what she was capable of.

That was...if Rumpelstiltskin hadn't betrayed her and aligned himself with her for Henry's sake.

She thought they were in this together but he was using her for his own means. He would do the same to Emma, and Regina would gleefully watch it when it unfolded.

If the curse didn't break by then, and now Regina was desperate to keep it intact AND get her son back.

But Rumple knew all her thinking, he knew all her tricks. He taught her most of them. He would know what she was doing before she could do it. He'd cut her off before she ever got too far in her plans.

So then, how did she get him back to her side?

He wanted something, she just had to find out what.

Then came a knock at the door. Regina was already up in her room when she heard it. She thought at first, and it was just a desperate hope, that Henry had come back. Or Emma was bringing him back. She pulled on her robe and rushed down the stairs. She didn't bother to stop and check to see who it was.

She opened the door and froze.

Her mother stood in front of her.

"Hello, Regina," Cora said with a terrifying smile.


	9. Chapter 9

The monotony was exhausting, while Emma waited for the next move to be made, she just sat around doing a whole lot of nothing. And so now while she enjoyed Henry and doted on him and spent as much time as possible with him…she kept waiting for something to happen, she was bored.

Emma burrowed in the covers, trying to get through her headache that came to her sometime after she and Henry watched their 2nd to last movie together.

Emma was just…. mentally and emotionally exhausted. She needed to take a vacation, she needed to get Henry out of here for a while but as long as the curse hung over them, he wouldn't leave. Emma knew he wouldn't.

She waited till midnight and nursed a drink. Usually Henry woke up by now, Emma put the drink aside and lay down to sleep.

Henry woke her up screaming an hour later.

Just like he always did lately since the sleeping curse.

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Seeing her mother took her breath away and filled Regina with an impending sense of terror. No, she was dead. She couldn't be alive, Hook had done his job, he had ripped her heart out and delivered her to be buried in the crypt before the curse hit. That had been his job, even Regina had checked to make sure she was dead.

But her mother was more powerful than her and Hook was a liar.

"You," she started and took a step back. Her mother came in and shut the door, "I thought we…killed you. How did you get through?"

"Determination," her mother aid simply in that way that made chills run up Regina's spine, "I had to see you. I needed to tell you that I know why you sent me through the looking glass. And I know why you tried to have me killed. And it's…it's all right."

Regina was desperate to believe it, she wanted to believe that her mother would forgive her trying to murder her but she knew her mother, she knew how she plotted, "I think it's not all right."

"I love you," Cora said almost believably, "I've always shown it in all the wrong ways. And I never should have made you marry the thing. I'm so sorry. When you cried over my coffin, it…it all changed."

"Daniel died…," she couldn't bring herself to say that her mother had murdered him. It might set her off, "I couldn't let you come back to haunt me."

"I don't want you to reject me…."

"You want me broken."

Cora almost saw her mother's face darken, "Receptive, dear."

"You are the most manipulative…," Regina started, "No. I won't even argue."

Then it dawned on her how she could get things in her favor. No one remembered, no one knew who her mother was. But Rumple knew both and if she delivered Cora to Rumple, then maybe she could use that to get her son back. It would show that she was ready to play ball.

"Come with me, we're going to town."

"It's the middle of the night."

"I don't care, we'll wake them up."

"How are you going to do that, dear? The curse is still in place."

"I'll wake them up," Regina said, hiding that she didn't know how. But this was better, this could probe that she was willing to cooperate. She ignored that they would remember what she did, they'd come after her. She didn't care, her mother was here.

Wasn't it only a matter of time anyway? Best do it on her terms.

"you can tell them how you lied and how you started all this. You owe me that."

"And then you'll let us start over?"

Regina would like nothing more than to send her back, "I don't see that happening, mother. I'm trying to get Henry back, and if this will get me that, then it' worth it."

Cora's face did darken then, "For you sweetheart? Anything."

And Regina knew that she was full of shit, but she wanted to know how far Cora was willing to go with this little game of hers.

Her hand closed on the doorknob when her mother spoke again.

"Taking me to be pilloried by your suddenly awakened town might gain you some points with SOME people, but as long as Emma and her parents are here, he's not really yours. It will never be like it was when he made things for his one and only mommy. Their conflict doesn't lie with me, it lies with you. You've been bad for too long and now they see you as a…a snake. They'll never accept you, and you'll never see Henry again. And you'll have awakened them for nothing."

That was all it took. She let her mother talk. She wasn't even out of the living room yet.

She released the doorknob.

000000000000000000000000

Things were too quiet for Emma's liking, she had been living for months in the paranoid fear that Regina might keep her from seeing Henry and now that she HAD Henry, she didn't trust this radio silence.

So, when she dropped Henry off at school, she resolved herself an went knocking on Gold's door.

He opened his door and scowled at her, "This is my day off, Sheriff Swan."

"Yeah, well I figured that when the shop was closed," Emma crossed her arms, "We need to talk." 

"Has there been a development?" 

"Not really"

"Wonderful! I was in the middle of making breakfast…."

"No thanks, I already ate."

"That wasn't an invitation," He practically snarled.

Geez, he wasn't a morning person.

"It's been quiet," Emma said simply, "And we both know that Regina is not about to let Henry go. I don't want to be blindsided and I know you're not dumb enough to think this is over either just because it's quiet."

He was grim.

Belle ran out from the kitchen, "Rumple, I think I got the bacon right…" 

He turned and smiled, "Excellent, Belle! I'll be along in a moment."

She turned to go back and he closed the door again to block Belle from their conversation, "Of course I know it's quiet, but Regina is very much aware that you are currently under my protection. She knows that if anything happens to any of you, then she has me to answer to and I'm far worse than she is."

Emma didn't doubt him, "She'll be working on a way around that."

"I'm very aware."

"And what if she tries to kill YOU instead?"

"I'm harder to kill than she is."

Emma didn't doubt that either, but she wanted contingencies just in case, "Is it true that I have magic?" 

"Yes dearie, that's why you're the savior."

Emma thought it over, "I should probably learn how to use it."

"That would be ideal," He smirked, "I can teach you."

The way he smiled sent shivers up her back, it reminded her that she couldn't trust him, not completely. He was on her side for his agenda but whatever that was might change.

"What's the payment? A second favor?" Emma's arms tightened around herself, "I don't _trust_ you."

He put on a look of faux offence, "Oh dearie, that's rude of you."

"Henry's having night terrors," she snapped, "Because of whatever this is that Regina and you dragged us all into. He wakes up screaming because of a burning room, he didn't have this until the sleeping curse."

Rumpelstiltskin looked stunned, "Henry's having nightmares about that place?"

Emma glared.

"Alright, I have a talisman that I can make, it can protect him."

"What's the price?" Emma asked. Whatever it was, she was prepared to pay it. She didn't want Henry to end up in his debt.

"It's Henry," Rumpelstiltskin told her, "It will be no charge. When is the best time to come over today?"

"Mary Margaret is doing volunteer all evening."

"Good, I'll come for dinner. We can all sit down and we can strategize. Might want to invite Jefferson too. we'll all sit down and talk about what we're going to do next."

And now Emma had to cook for four people and she never even set out to invite anyone to dinner.

"See you at six o'clock, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin went back into his house.


End file.
